YOUTUBE TO REELS
Turn a YouTube video into an Instagram Reel, free and without a watermark
Paste a long video’s link. FastClip opens on its best moment, crops it to vertical 9:16 while following faces, and burns in captions. Post it to Instagram from FastClip, or download it.
Free, no credit card, no watermark. Works in mobile and desktop browsers.
How to convert a YouTube video to a Reel
1. Paste the YouTube link
Any public video, stream replay or podcast episode. You do not download it first; FastClip imports it.
2. Pick the moment
FastClip opens on the part viewers replay most and lists other suggested moments. Set the start and end on the timeline, or select the words in the transcript.
3. Make it vertical
Turn on the full-screen 9:16 crop. It can follow faces automatically, and you can move the frame with keyframes where the speaker changes.
4. Add captions and post
Word-timed captions are burned in, in the language spoken. Connect your Instagram account and post the Reel from FastClip, or download the MP4.
Instagram’s rules that decide whether the Reel is recommended
From the Instagram Help Center, read on October 2, 2026: recording a reel, Reel size and aspect ratios and Recommendations on Instagram.
- Over three minutes loses new viewers. A Reel can be up to 20 minutes, but Instagram says “Reels over 3 minutes won’t be recommended to new audiences”.
- Unoriginal content may not be recommended. Instagram lists “unoriginal content that is largely repurposed from another source with only minor, immaterial edits, without adding material value” among content that may not be eligible for recommendations.
- Format has a floor. Aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16, at least 30 frames per second, at least 720 pixels.
In practice: keep the Reel under three minutes, fill the vertical frame, and make the clip yours. Choose the moment, crop it to the speaker, add captions and your own text or commentary. A raw cut of someone else’s video is the case Instagram calls unoriginal.
Which part of the video to use
Start with what viewers already rewatch: the YouTube Most Replayed tool shows the peaks of any video for free. Then start the clip at the first sentence of that thought and end where it lands. Our guides on hooks and clip length go deeper, and Instagram Reels for clippers covers posting and accounts. Posting the same moment elsewhere? See YouTube to Shorts and YouTube to TikTok.
Questions
Is this YouTube to Reels converter free?
Yes. FastClip is free with no credit card and no watermark: 100 finished clips and 50 YouTube imports in total.
Can I post the Reel to Instagram from FastClip?
Yes. Connect your Instagram account in Settings and publish the finished clip as a Reel from FastClip. You can also download the MP4 and upload it yourself.
How long can an Instagram Reel be?
Instagram lets you record and edit Reels of up to 20 minutes, and notes that Reels over 3 minutes are not recommended to new audiences. For reach, stay at or under 3 minutes.
What size should a Reel be?
Instagram accepts an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 9:16, with at least 30 frames per second and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels. FastClip’s full-screen crop exports vertical 1080 × 1920.
Will Instagram recommend a clip of someone else’s video?
Instagram may not recommend “unoriginal content that is largely repurposed from another source with only minor, immaterial edits, without adding material value”. Choose the moment yourself, crop it, caption it and add your own text or commentary. Clip only videos you own or are allowed to use.
Can I use the same clip for Shorts and TikTok?
Yes. Download the MP4 once and upload it there too. YouTube and TikTok have their own length and originality rules.
Make your first Reel
Paste a link, keep the moment, post a captioned 9:16 Reel. Clipping streams? See the Twitch clip maker.
Start clipping for free